Nashville Predators » Dany Heatleyhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators
The TennesseanSun, 16 Mar 2014 15:30:03 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6‘Hockey weather’ begins for Predatorshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/11/23/hockey-weather-begins-for-predators-and-notes/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/11/23/hockey-weather-begins-for-predators-and-notes/#commentsWed, 23 Nov 2011 19:20:37 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=6711ST. PAUL, Minn. The weather in Minnesota is cold. There’s snow on the ground. After unseasonable warmth in Nashville following a four-game trip through the West Coast it’s a welcome change for the Predators. And something they’ll have to get used to until early December on this five-game swing. Nashville will go through Detroit and the Western Canadian markets, following tonight’s game at the Wild.

“You’re going into hockey weather,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “When you go to California it’s nice, the weather is good, but this is hockey weather. It’s cold outside and snow is falling.”

These next five games start the grind portion of the Predators’ season. If the Predators felt an adrenaline surge during the first 20 games, it’s the next 40 where everything levels out. Wednesday’s game will be No. 21 for the Predators.

“The 20-60 is real hard for teams, because that’s the groundhog season for hockey,” Trotz said. “It’s the middle-40 games where keeping focus and staying out of those ruts is the key, to me, for hockey teams to be successful.”

Also, the intensity feels slightly more palpable on this trip. The Predators will go through some of the larger hockey markets in the Western Conference over the next week and a half.

“Those buildings are going to be buzzing, and the arenas are going to be ready for us,” forward Mike Fisher said. “We expect some really tough games, and those are the games where we’re going to need to be solid. We have to be a little more physical and detailed to our game.”

In terms of tonight’s game, the Predators face the best defensive team in the NHL, and the top team in the Western Conference standings. The Wild allow, on average, just 1.95 goals per game. They’ve also lost just twice in their last 11. After a few middling years, it appears the Wild have re-acquired their identity as a stout defensive unit. “I think it’s just attention to detail in the defensive zone as far as blocking shots,” forward Devin Setoguchi said. “It’s just being in the position to get pucks out when you need to get them out, or not turn pucks over.”

Setoguchi was one of the big additions this summer for the Wild from the run n’ gun San Jose Sharks. He and forward Dany Heatley have bought in to Minnesota’s defense-first style under first-year coach Mike Yeo. ”It’s definitely a way different system than what we’re used to,” Setoguchi said. “It has been tough to learn, but it’s getting better and better as it goes along.”

The Predators didn’t say who will start, but expect Pekka Rinne to be in net after playing one period last night against the Oilers. He’ll face Niklas Backstrom with the Wild.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/11/23/hockey-weather-begins-for-predators-and-notes/feed/0Badgers on icehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/12/15/badgers-on-ice/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/12/15/badgers-on-ice/#commentsThu, 16 Dec 2010 00:27:43 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=3288It seems like whenever the Predators play, there’s someone on the other team who has ties to the University of Wisconsin.

Jack Skille with Chicago, Brian Rafalski with Detroit, Adam Burish of Dallas … the list goes on and on — and tonight, will be a banner night for Nashville-area Badgers. The Predators obviously feature Ryan Suter, while the Sharks have Dany Heatley and Joe Pavelski.

When Skille hit Suter in Nashville’s Nov. 13 game against Chicago, Suter’s first game back after injuring his knee against the Flames in October, he jokingly jabbed at the Hawks’ forward, mentioning how he couldn’t believe a Wisconsin player would hit him.

With the large amount of Badgers playing in the NHL, do they feel extra motivation when they play each other?

“The facilities are great, the personnel there is really good,” Pavelski said. “I think that has a lot to do with it. There are a lot of guys in the league right now. It’s really good to see guys having a little bit of success.”

Of course, there’s this tremendous video of Wisconsin Basketball Coach Bo Ryan dancing to the song Soulja Boy. I know it has nothing to do with hockey, but still …